Converter furnace



June 30, c. -r-. DRANEY CONVERTER FURNACE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 31, 1940 an m,/ mm; m2 P ET F V m 5 hm r 3 mm June 30, 1942. c. T. DRANEY I 7 CQNVERTER FURNACE, I

Filed May 31, 1940 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 30, 1942 c. 1-. DRANEY CONVERTER FURNACE Filed May 51, 1940 s sheds-sheer :s

YINVENTOR lfiarlets 1221a nay BY I I QRNEY T will.)

Patented June 30, 1942 UNITED A STATES NT QFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating fluids and more particularly to a catalytic converter furnace having novel and improved details of construction and arrangements of parts.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device of the type above indicated.

Another object is to provide a furnace which is adapted for use in catalytic conversion processes.

Another object is to provide a catalytic converter furnace having novel and improved means for reactivating the catalyst without interrupting the continuous operation of the conversion process.

Another object is to provide a catalytic converter furnace having a control system which is conveniently arranged and efiicient in operation.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved method for quenching the treated products.

Another object is to provide an efficient, dependable and commercially practical device of the type above indicated.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are pointed out more particularly in the claim appended hereto, the invention itself may be better understood by referring to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a specific embodiment thereof has been set forth for purposes of illustration.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a furnace embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the furnace showing the control system;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation thereof; and

Fig. fl is a detail view showing a modified arrangement of the quenching mechanism.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the invention is shown as applied to a furnace IU of the double end-fired typehaving a front wall I I, a rear wall I2, and a plurality of burners M and I5 disposed respectively in said front and rear walls and adapted to direct the flame longitudinally of the furnace toward a centrally located exhaust duct l6, Fig. 1, communicating with a has been shown herein as is necessary to an understanding of the present invention.

The furnace is shown as provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending converter tubes stack or flue I! through which the products of' combustion are removed. It is to be understood that the furnace and burners may be of standard construction and that only so much thereof 20 which are arranged in a plurality of banks. It is to be understood that the furnace may be of any convenient size and that any desired number of banks of tubes may be employed. The invention has been shown as applied to a furnace having two banks of tubes for purposes of illustration only. i

The tubes of each bank communicate at the front of the furnace with a supply header 2| and at the rear of the furnace with an outlet header 22, suitable flange coupling means 24 being provided to permit the individual tubes to be disconnected and removed when desired. It is to be understood that the tubes 20 may contain a suitable catalyst or filler for use, for example, in the catalytic conversion of hydrocarbon oils.

Fuel gas may be supplied to the burners l4 through a fuel supply line 30 located at the front of the furnace and connected by branch lines 3|,

controlled by individual valves 32 to the front burners l4 associated with the individual banks of tubes. The supply line 3|) is also connected through control valves 33 with branch lines 34 extending around the furnace to the rear burners l5 associated with the individual banks of tubes. The arrangement is such that, by suitable control of the Valves 32 and 33 the operation of the various banks of burners may be controlled. The operation of the individual burners may be controlled by valves 35 which are connected between the branch lines 3| and 34 and the individual burners.

The material to be treated such, for example, as hydrocarbon vapors, is supplied from a vapor inlet 40 through a supply pipe 4| and through branch pipes 42 controlled by valves 43 to the individual supply headers 2|, by which they are distributed to the various converter tubes 20. The supply headers 2| may be provided with thermometer wells 44 to receive a suitable indi cating device by which the operation of the furmice may be observed.

The vapors, after conversion, are taken from the outlet headers 22 by means of pipes 45 extending around the furnace to the front thereof and communicating through valves 46 with a vapor outlet line 41. The pipes 45 may be provided with thermometer wells 45a, preferably near the discharge end of the outlet headers 22, to permit the quench oil to be regulated to obtain the desired outlet temperature. A by-pass 48 having a valve 49 may be connected between the supply pipe 4| and the outlet line 41 to permit the converter to be by-passed when desired.

In certain processes it is desirable to rapidly cool or quench the vapors as they are removed from the converter tubes 20. In the embodiment shown, this is accomplished by the use of a quench oil supply line 50 adapted to supply quench oil or the like to the outlet headers 22. The quench oil supply line 50 is located at the front of the furnace and communicates through branch lines 5| and valves 52 with lines 53 extending around the furnace to the back thereof and supplying the quench fluid to nozzles or injectors 55 located in the ends of the outlet headers 22 in a position to inject or spray the quench liquids into said headers in intimate contact with the vapors from the converter tubes 20.

A line 60 is provided for supplying steam and air to the tubes for reactivation purposes. This line 60 is connected through branch lines 5! and control valves 62 to the branch pipes 42 leading to the supply headers 2|. The line 5 also communicates through a valve 63 with a line 64 leading to a blow down line 65. The pipes 45 are also connected through valves 56 with the blown down line 65. A valve 61 may be included in the line 6|] to control, in conjunction with the valves 62, the supply of steam and air to the tubes.

A source of steam supply is shown as connected through a line 10 and branch lines ii to pipes 72 extending through the front wall ll of the furnace to supply steam to the fire box for smothering the fire in the event of a tube rupture, and to pipes 13 extending around the furnace and through the rear wall [2 for the same purpose. The lines H are also connected by lines '16 and valves TI to the quench lines 53 for the purpose of introducing steam through the quenching connections into the tube outlet header for cooling the mixture of steam and air and products of regeneration as they leave the tubes. Valves i8 and 19 may be inserted in the pipes 12 and 13, respectively, for control purposes.

In the operation of this furnace with both banks of converter tubes in operation, the valve 4-9 is closed and the valves 43 and 4B are open. The vapors are thus passed through the supply pipe 4| and branch pipes 42 to the supply headers 2| and, after conversion within the tubes 20, are removed through the outlet headers 22 and pipes 45 to the vapor outlet line 41. The supply of quench oil to the nozzles 55 may be controlled by the valves 52. The operation of the burners may be regulated by suitable adjustment of the Various control valves 32, 33% and 35 so as to maintain the desired operating conditions within the furnace.

With the furnace operating in this way the vapors are passed into the converter tubes wherein they are heated to the desired conversion temperature for a period of time determined by the rate of throughput per unit volume of tube free space and by the temperatures and pressures Within the tubes. Upon removal from the tubes, the vapors are immediately cooled in the outlet header 22 by the quench oil supplied from the nozzles 55, after which the vapors are removed through the vapor outlet line for further treatment. The temperature to which the vapors are cooled is indicated by thermometers (not shown) in the thermometer wells 45a. As applied, for example, to the catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons, the furnace may be operated under conditions such that cracking of the hydrocarbon vapors takes place in the converter tubes 20 and the vapors may be quenched in the outlet headers 22 to a temperature such that the cracking reaction ceases. Thereafter, the gaseous and/or liquid products may be further treated in subsequent apparatus for separating them into the desired components or for removing the desired reaction products therefrom.

When one of the banks of catalytic converter tubes becomes fouled with carbon inside and is to be reactivated, it is removed from stream by closing the valves 43, 4B and 52 which control the flow of vapors and quench oil to that particular bank of tubes. The appropriate valve 66 may then be opened to connect the outlet header 22 to the blow down line 65 and a mixture of steam and air may be supplied to the supply header 2| by opening the appropriate valves 6! and 62. This mixture of steam and air may be accurately controlled by suitable controls (not shown) to burn out the carbon deposit within the converter tubes without generating the heat of combustion so rapidly as to raise the tube temperature to an undesirable [level such as might result in burning, melting, or otherwise damaging the tubes. The reactivation products are removed through the blow down line 65. The highly heated mixture of steam and air and combustion products leaving the tubes may be cooled, if desired, by opening valves 1! and introducing steam through the quenching lines 53 and the nozzles 55 into the tube outlet headers 22.

In the usual reactivation process, it is preferable to blow out the tubes with steam before reactivation so as to avoid formation of explosive mixtures in the tubes. After the reactivation has been completed, it is also desirable to again blow out the tubes with steam to remove any air therefrom before again placing the converter tubes on stream. This may be readily accomplished by suitable control of the valves 6! and 18 and by proper adjustment of air and steam proportioning controls, not shown.

After the tubes have been reactivated and purged of air, they may be again placed on stream by closing the valves 61, B2 and 66 and opening valves 43, 46 and. 52. It is to be understood that during reactivation, the burners may be controlled to reduce the heat, if desired, by suitable adjustment of the control valves 32 and 33.

The line 10 may also be used to supply steam to the fire box and to the quench line for fire control purposes. This may be accomplished by opening the suitable valves 19 and H for fire control purposes in the event of a tube rupture which results in discharge of the contents into the furnace.

It is to be noted that all of the control valves are arranged at the front of the furnace where they are conveniently accessible to an operator. Obviously, if additional banks of converter tubes are employed, the same control characteristics may be obtained by the addition of the requisite branch pipes and valves located similarly tothose above described. The arrangement provides for the continuous operation of the furnace for conversion purposes while permitting the periodic removal of individual banks of converter tubes for reactivation.

In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the quenching oil is supplied to one end of the outlet header 22 and the vapors are removed from the opposite end thereof. Fig. 4 shows an arrangement which is similar in operation to that above-described, but is mechanically arranged so that the quench oil is supplied to both ends of the outlet header 22 and the vapors are removed from an intermediate point thereof.

In this embodiment, the quench oil from the line 53 is supplied by branch lines 90 to nozzles 9| disposed in the two ends of an outlet header 22'. The treated vapors are removed through a vapor outlet 41 which communicates with an intermediate portion of the header 22. It is to be understood, of course, that the vapor outlet may be connected at various points in the outlet header and that the quench oil may likewise be introduced at various points depending upon the particular operating characteristics which may be required in any specific instance.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown for purposes of illustraiii tion, it is to be understood that the invention may be applied to various uses and that changes and modifications may be made therein as will readily appear to a person skilled in the art. The invention is only to be limited in accordance with the following claim.

What is claimed is:

In a converter furnace, a row of converter tubes carrying hydrocarbon vapors arranged in a plane, a transverse outlet header connected across the ends of said tubes, and substantially coextensive therewith and communicating therewith to receive vapors therefrom and injector means in at least one end of said outlet header to introduce a quench fluid directly into the vapor stream therein as the vapors leave the converter tubes, and an outlet duct withdrawing vapors and quench fluid from said header at a point spaced from said injector means.

CHARLES T. DRANEY. 

